Gambling Scams: How They Work
Darwin Ortiz's "Gambling Scams: How They Work, How to Detect Them, How to Protect Yourself"
Darwin Ortiz's "Gambling Scams: How They Work, How to Detect Them, How to Protect Yourself" is a sort of encyclopedia of gambling scams, from con men to cheating at dice games and more. The author's reputation, experience and skills at card and dice games are known far and wide, making this a real worthwhile read for information on and protection from gambling scams.
One example of the scams Ortiz exposes is Razzle Dazzle: In this game, the barker rolls eight marbles onto a board with holes numbered 1 through 9. The object of the typical game is to accumulate 10 points; the scam is that in Razzle Dazzle, the number added up by the marbles is not equivalent to your score. The hustle is a "conversion board" that converts and tallies scores. For example, if the marbles land in the holes, the number values of which add up to 23, the conversion board may convert that to 1. No matter how long you play, the score actually never adds up to 10.
While Ortiz is indeed an unquestionable authority on the subject matter, the writing was somewhat lacking. In addition, the particular scams he discusses are in large part, out of use in major gambling establishments and have been for years and really only exist in non-reputable gambling establishments you should know not to trust even without this book.
The book has pros and cons for any casino regular. We recommend you check it out for yourself!
